Propulsion of vessels on and immersed in water.



A. GLENN.

PROPULSION 0F VESSELS-ON AND IMMERSED IN WATER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11,1913.

1,093,693. Patented Apr. 21, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

57%; Invzi wLumBIA PLANOORAPN CO..WASHINGTON. D. c.

A. GLENN. PROPULSION 0F VESSELS ON AND IMMERSED IN WATER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 11, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 191 L 2 SEEETS-SHE ET 2.

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TUITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLAN GLENN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PROPULSION 0F VESSELS ON AND IMMERSED IN WATER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALLAN GLENN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at l Pall Mall Place, in the county of London, England, formerly of 23 Palace street, lVestminster, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Propulsion of Vessels on and Immersed in lVater, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the propulsion of vessels on or immersed in water and has particular reference to propelling mechanism of the kind in which a propeller in the form of a blade or vane is caused to travel around a figure of eight or lemniscate path or orbit.

The chief object is to provide improved propelling mechanism which shall be simpler and more efficient in its action than screw and oscillating propellers heretofore proposed.

Another object of the invention is to dis pense with additional or independent devices (usually spring controlled) which are employed in some lemniscatory or oscillatory propellers for allowingthe fluid to act 011 the propeller to cause it to feather or become inoperative at the extreme or remote ends of the figure of eight orbit.

The present invention is particularly suit able for the propulsion of submarines as it enables the maneuvering of the same to be facilitated.

According to this invention the mechanism for causing the propeller to move in a figure of eight orbit is so constructed and arranged that it positively moves so angularly displaces the propeller into a feathering or inoperative position at the end of each working stroke, that is at the extreme ends of the figure of eight orbit. The mechanism is such that it causes the blade to be rapidly angularly displaced from its feathering or inoperative posit-ion into an opera tive position, to perform its working stroke and at the end of each working stroke the blade is reversed so that the opposite side thereof becomes operative. The propeller is in the form of a blade orvane which in some cases may be so arranged that a uniform pressure in exerted on the fluid by any part or point of the operative side of the blade and in this respect the blade differs from those lemniscatory propeller blades Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 11, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914. Serial No. 773,028.

which exert a greater pressure on the fluid at the lower or outer partthan at the upper part or point of connection with the operating mechanism. Although the blade is adapted to move in a figure of eight orbit, 1t can be so arranged that each of the opposite free edges thereof continually moves to and fro-in a path which forms part of the arc of a circle, the said paths being oppositely disposed, and it is between these curved paths that the figure of eight orbit 1s traced or traversed by the middle or axis of the blade. The propeller blade may be mounted on a member or link the ends of which are constrained to traverse the aforesa1d curved paths. The said member or link may be pivotally attached at each end to another or outer link, the two outer links being pivotally connected to a relatively fixed part of the vessel, or the outer links may be dispensed with, and the said member or propeller link may be caused to move in the aforesaid paths by being constrained to travel in suitable guides. The mechanism for reciprocating the propeller may be of any appropriate construction preferably operated from a rotary shaft, and in some cases the whole mechanism may be angularly displaced around the axis of the said rotary or operating shaft to enable the vessel to be propelled in any required direction. According to a modification of the invention the propeller may be so connected to the propeller link that the outer portion thereof travels through a greater or larger figure of eight orbit than the upper part or point of connection with the propeller link for the purpose of increasing the speed of the vessel.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1, 2 and 8 are diagrammatic plan views illustrating the aforesaid propeller and one construction of mechanism for moving the same. Fig. 4 illustrates a modification. Fig. 5 is an end view of the propeller link and the blade secured thereto. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the paths traversed by the propeller link and blade, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of the aforesaid means for imparting an oscillatory movement to the propeller.

A represents the propeller which is generally mounted at the stern of the vessel so that the thrust is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the figure eight path described by the propeller.

A is the member or link on which the pro peller is mounted and a, a are the outer links pivotally connected at a, a to the link A and at a a to the vessel. The centers of the pivots a of the aforesaid two outer links a are so arranged that a line passing through them is parallel to the axis of propulsion, and they are at such a distance apart that the angle between each of the outer links a and the propeller link A is greater than a right angle, when the propeller A is in such a position that its vertical axis passes through a line joining the pivots a a as shown in Fig. 2. The propeller A is arranged parallel to the propeller link A on which it is mounted so that during its rectilinear movements to and fro the surface will be presented to the water in which the vessel is immersed with an equal angle relatively to the axis of propulsion which is represented in the figures by the line w-y. The propeller may however if desired, be so arranged with relation to its link A that the plane of the propeller is not coincident with the plane of the link or in other words the propeller is angularly displaced relatively to the link.

The links a a, and A may be made of equal or as shown unequal length and the angle that the two outer links a make with the propeller link A when the center of the latter is in alinement with the pivoted points a a of said outer links a (as shown in Fig. 2) may be aried (by altering the relative lengths of the links) within certain limits depending upon the requirements as to the extent of the path traversed by the propeller A and the angle at which the said propeller .is inclined to the axis of propulsion m-y during the rectilinear portions of the reciprocating movement.

Instead of connecting the propeller link A to the outer links a a as above described it may be mounted so that its ends a a move in curved guides a a (see Fig. A) the curvature of said guides being the same as that of the curved path which is followed by the inner ends or pivots a, a of the links a a.

It will be noted that the links a, a and guides (4 a constitute not only means for guiding the link A and propeller blade through a figure of eight orbit, but also means for angularly displacing the blade into an inoperative or feathering posit-ion at the ends of the orbit.

lVhen the propeller A is moved by the hereinafter described or other suitable mechanism any point on the transverse axis thereof describes a closed path represented by a lemniscate or figure eight as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 to t. The said mechanism, which constitutes means for imparting a bodily movement to the blade, comprises in the example shown in Figs. 1 to 3 a slotted reciprocating bar b which is pivotally connected to the propeller link A at Z) and is restrained against movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 93 by a relatively fixed pin 0 carried by a part of a vessel and projecting into the slot Z) in the bar I), the said pin being arranged to allow the bar to be moved or reeiprocated in the direction of its length. For enabling this movement to be effected the bar is pivotal] y connected at its end remote from the propeller to a pin 7)" which is *auscd to t 'avel in a. cam groove Z) by means of a crank 6 provided with a slot at its outer end to allow the pin 5* to follow the cam groove when the crank is rotated by the operating shaft Z1 The formation of the cam groove is such that when the mechanism is operated the figure eight movement described by the point 6 of the reciprocating bar 7) coincides with that described by the middle point of the propeller link A and is of a uniform character.

Another mechanism for imparting movement to the propeller is shown in Fig. 4, and may comprise a bar 0 which is reoiprocated by means of an ordinary crank or the like 0 pivoted at 0 to the bar so that the end of the latter travels in a circular path. The said bar 0 is mounted so as to be capable of a certain amount of play or lateral movement between two fixed guides or the like 0 carried by a part of the vessel. By allowing the bar to have a certain amount of play or lateral movement as aforesaid the figure eight followed by the point 6 of the bar 6 coincides with that described by the middle point of the propeller link and is of a uniform character.

The aforesaid propeller and operating mechanism may be so mounted as to be movable around the center or axis of the operatsaid movement can be effected during the ing shaft by any suitable means to enable the vessel to be propelled in any direction. The operation of the propeller.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Propelling mechanism for vessels, comprising in combination, a propelling blade, means to bodily move the blade, means to support the blade to enable all parts of the propelling surface to be equally operative during its working strokes, and means to guide the blade through a figure of eight orbit and to angularly displace it into inoperative or feathering positions at the ends of the figure of eight orbit.

2. Propelling mechanism for vessels, comprising in combination, a propelling blade of which all parts of the propelling surface are equally operative during its working strokes, means to bodily move the blade, and

guiding means to produce a figure of eight path for the blade and to rapidly angularly displace the blade into an inoperative or feathering position at the end of each Working stroke to bring the reverse side of the blade into operation.

Propelling mechanism for vessels, comprising in combination, a propelling blade, a link carrying said blade, means to move said link, means to engage With the ends of said link to guide the link and blade through a figure of eight orbit and to angularly displace the blade into inoperative positions at the ends of the figure of eight orbit.

4. Propelling mechanism for vessels, comprising in combination, a propelling blade, a link carrying said blade at an intermediate position, means to bodily move said link, means to guide the ends of the link through oppositely disposed and equal arcuate paths to cause the blades to describe a figure of eight orbit.

5. Propelling mechanism for vessels, comprisingin combination, a propelling blade, a movable element carrying said blade to enable all parts of the propelling surface of the blade to be equally operative during the Working stroke, means to reciprocate said element, means to engage With the ends of said movable element to guide them through oppositely disposed and equal arcuate paths and to cause the blade to be angularly displaced through a figure of eight orbit to produce a feathering of the blade at the ends of the figure of eight orbit and thus bring the reverse side of the blade into operation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALLAN GLENN.

Witnesses:

HAROLD A. SMITH, S. A. STANLEY.

Gopies of thin patent me, be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Oommlnioner of 2mm, Washington, D. C. 

